Tensions rise in Marin City after shooting of man after traffic stop

Tensions are running high in Marin City after a man suspected of driving without a license was shot Sunday evening by a sheriff's deputy who believed his life was in danger when the man accelerated his vehicle toward him, according to the sheriff's department.

One eyewitness said he was shocked to see the officer fire an estimated eight to 10 shots at the car with people, including children in nearby parks, in close proximity.

"He was shooting to kill and had no qualms about emptying his gun into the car," said Marin City resident Keith Waye, who said he fell to the ground to avoid gunfire as the suspect drove toward him. "It's a miracle that on a warm, sunny Sunday with people out that no one was hit."

The suspect, Chaka Grayson, 44, of Marin City was struck twice by bullets in the arm as he fled the scene, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. He is being treated at Marin General Hospital for his wounds. The deputy's name has not been released.

Charon Morgan-Denny, Grayson's cousin, said people in the community are angry that deadly force was used in the incident.

"There are a lot of people on edge," Morgan-Denny said. "Some people don't feel safe with the sheriff's department anymore. I respected them until yesterday. I had never had an issue with them. Now I do not trust them anymore."

Underscoring the tension: after the incident a crowd gathered and began throwing rocks at the officer, one hitting him in the head, according to the sheriff's office.

Marin City residents have long voiced concerns over the way the sheriff's office handles policing in the community, alleging deputies are unprofessional, aggressive and disrespectful toward residents. Sheriff's officials have acknowledged that deputy training is done in Marin City.

"Chaka has had a troubled past, but he has never had anything to do with weapons," Morgan-Denny said. "For them to take it that far, to shoot to kill over a traffic stop, it's scary."

Sunday's incident began at about 5:50 p.m., when the deputy was on patrol along Terners Drive in Marin City, the sheriff's office reported. The deputy saw a Gold Buick approaching him from the other direction, "at which point the vehicle immediately pulled to the side of the road," according to a sheriff's office release.

As the deputy drove by he saw that the driver was Grayson, whom he knew from previous contacts and knew he had a suspended driver's license, according to the sheriff's office.

The deputy then made a U-turn and pulled in perpendicular behind Grayson's vehicle. There was a second vehicle parked in front of Grayson as well, according to an eyewitness report.

As the deputy got out of his patrol car, he noticed that Grayson ducked down as he approached. The deputy drew his firearm and ordered Grayson to show his hands. Instead, Grayson accelerated his vehicle toward the deputy at which point the deputy fired toward Grayson, according to the sheriff's office.

"The officer felt his life was at risk," said Lt. Jamie Scardina, a sheriff's spokesman, adding that the officer was positioned near the driver's side front bumper when the car began to move.

But eyewitness Waye, who was about a half block away, saw it differently.

"(The deputy) standing right next to the driver's door pulls his gun, steps back 5 to 10 feet and yells 'don't move the car, don't move the car,'" Waye wrote in an account given to investigators. "The driver turned his wheels out, pulled forward less than a foot, and the officer opened fire.

"I never once felt the officer was in danger. Especially to the point of needing his gun."

Grayson's vehicle continued down Terners Drive to the 200 Lot of Drake Avenue where the vehicle was found abandoned. At about 9:55 p.m. Grayson surrendered and was taken to Marin General. Charges have not been filed pending his release from the hospital.

"We do want to thank the community who helped get the suspect to surrender," Scardina said.

The deputy was treated for a head wound after a group of 30 to 40 bystanders started throwing rocks, striking him in the head, the sheriff's office reported.

The Novato Police Department was handling the investigation into the shooting, per protocol in such a case. An outside police agency is called in to conduct such an investigation for impartiality, according to the sheriff's office.

Grayson has had other scrapes with the law. In 2007 he was accused of luring two pedestrians into a robbery by offering them a ride up the Donahue Street hill, authorities said.

In 2010 he was arrested by Novato police on suspicion of recklessly evading police, resisting police, speeding, hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license for DUI, and a headlight violation. Police also tacked on a counterfeiting allegation after finding fake money in his possession during a search at the county jail. In the 2010 incident police tried to make a traffic stop near Redwood and De Long avenues. The vehicle took off and led police on a chase through downtown Novato. Grayson lost control of the car, crashed into a tree at Grant Avenue and Fifth Street, and tried to run away. Police arrested him a short distance from the crash scene, police said.